Sacred Hearts In Mexican Folk Art

Posted: July 25, 2013 | Author: Zinnia Folk Arts | Filed under: Folk Art, Mexican Crafts, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican silver jewelry, Milagros, Religious Folk Art, Zinnia Folk Arts Shop | Tags: Gifts, Mexican crafts, Mexican folk art, Mexican jewelry, Mexican silver, mexican style, Religious folk art, silver earrings | Comments Off

The Sacred Heart is one of the most common motifs in religious folk art created in Mexico. The idea is that the physical heart of Jesus is a symbol of his divine love for humanity. The Mexican folk art sacred heart comes in various forms–with flames around it, with a crown, with a dagger through the center and sometimes with a crown of thorns–and all represent the same thing, Jesus’ compassion for humanity. In some Christian paintings it is depicted as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, topped by a cross and bleeding. The bleeding and wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus’ death while the fire stands for the transformative power of God’s love.

And of course, you know that almost everyone in Mexico is Catholic so these images are commonly seen throughout the country…

Here are a few interpretations of the sacred heart by some of Mexico’s folk artists. The two hearts above, hang on the wall. One is shiny nickel silver (5″ tall) and other is a patina-ed nickel silver or alpaca (7″ tall). They are $38 for the shiny one and $28 for the darker one.

The two sets of earrings below are made of silver and come from Taxco, Mexico. The lovely crowned earrings are $38 and the pendant, $30. The stunning, oxidized earrings with lovebirds and a flaming heart are $78. Click on the photo of the earring to take you to the online store.

To see what else we have for sale in the online shop, click here.

What is the Significance of Hands in Mexican Folk Art?

Posted: July 18, 2013 | Author: Zinnia Folk Arts | Filed under: Jewelry, Mexican Crafts, Mexican Earrings, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Style, Mexico, Religious Folk Art, Unique gifts & Jewelry, Zinnia Folk Arts Shop | Tags: Alpaca, Folk Art, Frida Kahlo, handmade, mexican artisans, Mexican crafts, Mexican folk art, Mexican jewelry, mexican style, Milagros, Religious folk art, religious iconography, traditional folk art | Comments Off

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked in the shop is, “What is the significance of the hand in Mexico?”

Hand motifs do appear in many pieces of jewelry and religious iconography from Mexico and though there is no absolute answer to the question, here are a few ideas.

One of the most obvious answers is that the hand is so important to all of us in terms of making things (hand-made), performing, communicating, praying (especially when 90% of the country is Catholic) and in making us human. This is just as true in Mexico as it is in other places. The heart in the hand (another common image in Mexico) is a traditional folk art motif, associated with the Shakers, the Amish, and the Pennsylvania Dutch. It is widely considered to symbolize charity, or to mean something is “from the heart”. Others consider it to represent friendship, love and truth.

The hand motif in Mexican jewelry probably increased after Pablo Picasso’s gift of the silver hand-shaped earrings to Frida Kahlo in the 1930’s or 40’s. She painted herself in them and many nicho boxes and retablos created around Frida’s image contain those famous paintings. Some Mexican artisans make beautiful hand-shaped earrings.

Here are a few pieces we currently have in the shop that can give you an idea…

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This beautiful and amazing carved hand is covered on both sides with milagros. It costs $166 and measures 10.5″ tall by 4.5″ wide.

Silver Mexican Earrings Made by the Mazahua

Posted: March 6, 2013 | Author: Zinnia Folk Arts | Filed under: .925 SIlver, Jewelry, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Jewelry, Mexican silver jewelry, Silver jewelry from Mexico | Tags: Mazahua, Mexican folk art, Mexican jewelry, Mexican silver, mexican style, silver earrings | Comments Off

There are some amazing silver artisans in the Mazahua area of Mexico, northwest of Mexico City. They have been making earrings for a very long time. They were deeply influenced by the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 1500’s. When Spanish women arrived in Mexico they brought many new jewelry styles but in particular a style of earring that was crescent-shaped (arracada) and often wrapped in silver or gold. These styles took root in Mexican silver jewelry making and continue to this day.

One Mazahua silversmith told the author of an article on Mazahua earrings in Artes de Mexico, the meaning of the silver earrings. He said, “The stones symbolize the bright star that comes out at around four or five in the morning. The doves represent the husband going out into the fields to work, and his wife getting up to make atole. The flowers and leaves refer to the countryside, to nature. And the lines are the rays of the Sun.”

When the artisans learn to make these intricate earrings, they practice on less expensive metals such as copper and brass. Once they master the technique, they start using silver wire and silver sheets. To this day the elder artisans teach the younger. Unfortunately, not as many young people are so interested in carrying on the tradition. Like so many types of folk art, the Mazahua earring is at risk of dying out.

All of these earrings are .925 or 92.5% silver. Click on the photograph and you will be taken to the website. If you get a message saying, “This product is no longer available” that means they have been sold. So hurry!

Beaded Huichol Easter Eggs And Bracelets

Posted: March 2, 2013 | Author: Zinnia Folk Arts | Filed under: Folk Art, Huichol, Jewelry | Tags: handmade, huichol indians, Mexican crafts, Mexican folk art, Mexican jewelry, mexican style | Comments Off

The Huichol Indians of Nayarit, Mexico are amazingly skilled at beading. Here’s a shot of a few eggs that I have in the shop at the moment. The eggs are carved out of wood, then covered in a thin coat of beeswax, then decorated bead-by-bead. Truly lovely. Not available in the online shop because there are so few but if you’re interested in them, send me a note on the form below. They are $16 for the small and $21 for the large.

And below, is a photo of the amazing beadwork that goes into the bracelets. They move like liquid. Incredibly gorgeous. These are the last two Huichol bracelets I have at the moment and they are available right here.

New Mexican Silver Jewelry from Taxco And Other Places!

Posted: October 16, 2012 | Author: Zinnia Folk Arts | Filed under: .925 SIlver, Guatemala, Huichol, Jewelry, Mexican Crafts, Mexican Earrings, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Jewelry, Mexican silver jewelry, Silver jewelry from Mexico, Unique gifts & Jewelry | Tags: Arracada, handmade, Mazahua lovebirds, Mexican crafts, Mexican folk art, Mexican jewelry, Mexican silver, Mexican Silver Earrings, Mexican Silver Jewelry, silver earrings | Comments Off

Ok, it’s not ALL Mexican jewelry. The bead bracelets are from Guatemala–a very nice young man stopped in the shop with some beautiful bead work bracelets and I bought a few to see how they would sell. They are available right here. But if you’re looking for even nicer bead bracelets from Mexico, the handwork of the Huichol Indians is (in my mind) unsurpassed. Those exquisite and super liquid-y designs are right here but not in the above photo.

The slightly more contemporary designs of a Oaxacan arracada (bottom left corner and top right corner) are from another person who dropped into the shop, a Mexican-American woman visiting Minneapolis from Los Angeles. They are .925 silver and are beautiful. Fancy but not over the top. Those are available right here.

The lavender sachet is lovely and I bought a bunch of them in Guanajuato. They are embroidered and then some old Mexican coins are attached at the corner. Lovely gifts available here.

In the middle right box are a pair of Mazahua earrings with kissing lovebirds and a single drop. They are from just outside Mexico City and are a tried and true every day earring. The kissing birds are very typical of Mazahua earrings and they represent love, peace and serenity. Available here.

All of the others I purchased on my last trip to Mexico in Taxco. Some are traditional motifs and some are a twist on the traditional. One of them is an Aztec design combined with dangles to make a more contemporary earring. They are all sterling silver and they are all for pierced ears. Click on the following to find them:

Filigree Dangle, Upper left corner

Winged Birds with Dangles, Upper Middle (contact me, I forgot to put them on the website)

Oxidized Silver Sacred Hearts, Middle left

Aztec Motif with Dangles, Lower Middle

As always if you have any questions, please contact me below!

Saludos, Anne

Unpacking the New Mexican Folk Art Shipment from Mexico!

Posted: September 7, 2012 | Author: Zinnia Folk Arts | Filed under: .925 SIlver, Mexican Crafts, Mexican Earrings, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Jewelry, Mexican silver jewelry, Religious Folk Art, Silver jewelry from Mexico | Tags: Mexican crafts, Mexican folk art, Mexican jewelry, Mexican silver, Silver jewelry from Mexico | Comments Off

Remember a few short weeks ago, I was in Taxco, and other cities hunting for new Mexican folk art, Mexican silver jewelry and beautiful handmade Mexican crafts? The shipment has arrived! And now I’m slowly unpacking, pricing and doing the paper work of keeping track of over 700 items that I purchased for Dia de Los Muertos and the holiday season. I’m starting to put a few things out in the shop and eventually hope to get many of them on the website.

There are LOTS of beautiful Mexican talavera ceramics but I haven’t reached those yet (next week, I hope!). Here you can see a few things that are in the Mexican religious category (the upside down saint with the inscription, ” Beautiful Tonito, send me a man who wants to be my husband”), a couple of ceramics (the Capula pitcher and the talavera canisters) and a couple of pieces of gorgeous .925 Mexican silver jewelry. Also, a bunch of new small Mexican glass pitchers and wineglasses!

People ask me all the time if I have a favorite destination in Mexico. I can honestly say that I truly love all of the great country of Mexico but I especially love the regions that make handmade Mexican crafts–Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Puebla, Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Federal District. One can find Mexican folk art almost anywhere, including the coasts and resort towns, but I prefer to hunt it down in the small towns, workshops, markets and coops in the central regions. I also prefer buying directly from the artisan whenever I can and personally selecting the most unusual and beautiful pieces of Mexican folk art.

None of these things are on the website–they are either too fragile for shipping or I just haven’t gotten around to it yet but if you are interested in something in these photos, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and I’ll get back to you! Or if you click on the photos you’ll be taken to the Zinnia Folk Arts Online Shop so you can see what IS on the website!

Saludos!

Anne from Zinnia Folk Arts

Handmade Silver Jewelry from Mexico

Posted: August 19, 2012 | Author: Zinnia Folk Arts | Filed under: .925 SIlver, Jewelry, Mexican Crafts, Mexican Earrings, Mexican Jewelry, Mexican Style, Unique gifts & Jewelry | Tags: handmade, Mexican crafts, Mexican jewelry, Mexican silver, silver earrings | Comments Off

Here are a few photos of our latest shipment of silver beauties from Mexico. Some of these pieces can be purchased from the website. If you’re interested in the others you can send me an email with an inquiry.

All of them are in the shop at 826 West 50th, Minneapolis, MN…612-824-4342…Gracias!

Huichol Beaded Mexican Folk Art Jewelry

Posted: June 25, 2012 | Author: Zinnia Folk Arts | Filed under: Huichol, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Jewelry, Unique gifts & Jewelry | Tags: handmade, Huichol, Mexican folk art, Mexican jewelry | Comments Off

Forget everything you’ve ever thought about Mexican beaded bracelets. You know, they’re nice but nothing spectacular. The Huicholes of Nayarit, Mexico, design and create the most exquisite jewelry from beads that you’ve ever seen. And I mean, ever! The color combinations, the designs and the liquid ease that they drape on the wrist are exceptional. Treat yourself (or someone you love) to something unique right here.